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The Process of Creating a Website
Most people do not know where to start or what is involved in
creating a web site. Here are some basic steps that outline the
process.
- Find web sites similar to what you imagine for your website.
In addition, find a few sites that you do not like. Save the
URLs (addresses) of these sites. The contrast and comparison
will be instructive in creating the perfect site for you.
- Gather information about your company. This information may
be in electronic or paper form. Find advertising information,
text files, brochures, logos, photos, etc. This body of
information helps form the content of your web site.
- Contact us to set an appointment
for a representative from Computers Made Easy to discuss
your goals and needs. Together we discuss the web sites you have
researched and the goals for your own site. We also review the
information you have gathered.
- During the meeting, we brainstorm the visual look and
structure of the web site. (We work together to establish the
number of pages, the structure of the pages, links, images,
etc.)
- We discuss the hosting options available at
Giraffe Digital
Solutions and decide on the annual or monthly package that meets
your needs. Computers Made Easy assists you in the process of
registering a domain name and selecting your web hosting plan.
- Computers Made Easy provides an accurate estimate of the final
cost. The quote outlines the pages agreed upon and the final
price.
- While Computers Made Easy begins work on the graphics and
structure of the site, we work with you to create content for
the pages. If you want to create the final content,
Computers Made Easy will proof it for you. If you prefer to create a
rough draft, Computers Made Easy will finalize the text for your
approval.
- After receiving the content, Computers Made Easy publishes a
temporary copy of the web site for your review.
- Both you and Computers Made Easy review the site for edits,
errors, or desired changes.
- Computers Made Easy publishes the final site. We submit your site
to several major directories and (if you are local to
Westmoreland County) link your site to
InWestmoreland.com,
where the site will be quickly cataloged by the major
search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN.
If you prefer to use another hosting service, you must
provide Computers Made Easy with the necessary information to publish
the site or we give you the final web site to publish yourself.
NOTE: Hosting with a service other than
Giraffe Digital Solutions may result in additional
Computers Made Easy charges, as the cost savings of working with our
sister company, GDS, will no longer be present. Computers Made Easy's Design Philosophy
- Professional Appearance
- Good Content
- Simple, Practical Design
- Search Engine Friendly Design
- Easy Navigation and User Friendly Interface
- Avoid Annoying "flashy" Techniques and Slow
Pages
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Professional Appearance
Your website is the first impression of your business.
You want to give a professional appearance that is appropriate to
your type of business.
Would you have an amateur construct your storefront or office?
Would you hire an amateur to paint the sign in front of your
business? Would you hire an amateur to decorate your store windows? No, because your business needs a
professional appearance. The same is true on the Internet.
Hire a professional web designer to create a professional online
presence.
We design an appearance that is appropriate to your business.
See our portfolio. Develop Good Content
Nothing makes your site more valuable than solid, useful,
well-written content. Many potential clients will say, "We
don't need words on our website, no one reads them anyway." That's
just not true, and even if it were - how do you think the Search
Engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN decide where to put your website
in a list of results? They don't care about pictures; they
care about well-written information. People care about words
too, but usually only the one small bit of information they want
right now.
While it's unlikely that anyone will read everything on your
website, each reader is looking for specific information - and he or
she needs to find it. Reader tend to scan headlines and bullet
lists looking for something that catches their interest. Good content is useful to the
readers, but also helps in getting your site to rank well in the
search engines. Our professional writer will edit your content
or interview you to develop content from scratch.
Simple Practical Design and Navigation
We prefer simple, practical navigation for most websites.
Flashing objects, pop ups, and unusual navigation confuse and
distract the average computer user. We use standard design
elements so that your reader doesn't have to wonder where to click.
Our sites are designed to work well at the 800x600 resolution.
While Windows XP offers a standard resolution of 1024x768, many
users are still using older computers and with the lower resolution.
Even new computer owners often set the resolution down a bit,
because it makes the icons and screen text larger and easier to
read. The shorter line
length of the 800x600 resolution is easier on the eyes. With
longer line lengths readers have to strain their eyes or turn their
heads slightly. It's also more difficult to return to the left
margin without losing track of the next line. Even so, our
sites look great at the higher resolution too! Consider the Search Engines
Consider search engines. Many web designers and optimization
companies have all sorts of ways to try to trick search engines. We
don't use tricks. Good content and a smart use of keywords help
achieve results. (Besides, the major search engines frown on
tricks and might kick you out of the search results all together if
they find your site using egregious techniques.) Avoid Annoying "Stuff"
Annoying stuff looks unprofessional and aggravates your
readers. Canned music, blinking text, flashing banners, pop up
windows, textured backgrounds, and hard-to-read text encourage users
to leave your site. File sizes are important. Large pages take longer to load than small
pages. Many users have broadband connections, but there are still
plenty of dial-up users. Your site has to work for them!
Avoid Slow Pages
Don't make the your users wait for slow pages to load.
Many users have broadband, but you need to consider your audience.
Fast pages will keep your reader's interest. Slow pages will
drive them away.
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